Bold New Faces Transform How We See And Buy Art

THE CROSSOVER ARCHITECT

Vince Ong, 31, Founder of Ebon Design by VOCH

When Ong says he goes the extra mile for his clients, he doesn’t just mean it figuratively. The former Foster + Partners architect literally sources the materials and sculpts artwork fixtures like copper lily-inspired lamps himself for the homes he designs. DesignSingapore’s first architectural scholar and recipient of the Architectural Association School of Architecture London scholarship, he has become the go-to architect for a new breed of homeowners who don’t just want art on their walls – they want it incorporated seamlessly into the very building.

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Ong likes to hide “pockets of surprises” within each design

Ong returned to Singapore in 2011 to work for the award-winning Woha Architects before setting up his own practice last year. Explaining his vision, he says: “I want the visual flow to be seamless. It’s about blurring the boundaries between art and design.” That includes a futuristic, A Clockwork Orange-esque walk-in wardrobe that feels more like an installation than clothing storage in one apartment, and ceramic lighting featuring the latest in 3-D printing in another. In 2014, he created an installation art piece to go with the stage performance of Sublime Monsters and Invisible Children in collaboration with TheatreWorks.

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A bedroom featuring a one-way mirror looking into the bathroom

Next up: his first building (a children’s home in Myanmar), and a collaboration with multimedia artist Brian Gothong Tan and Singapore Arts Festival director Ong Keng Seng. 

Bold New Faces Transform How We See And Buy Art 1  A walk-in wardrobe inspired by the flow of nature from one form to another

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THE DESIGN CONNECTOR 

Ho Shu Yuan, 29, Founder of Design Hub 

The design crowd has been heading to the unlikeliest of places for their design fix: Tuas. Located a stone’s throw from Malaysia and miles away from the centre of town, the allure of the Design Hub has to be pretty darn strong. And it is. The swanky 13-storey building brings together collectible art-piece bathtubs from Florence, raw steel tiles by avant-garde industrial designer Karim Rashid, and luxury handcrafted wallpapers.

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Wallpapers by English manufacturer Farrow & Ball

It’s a candy store for aesthetes and the presentation is so sophisticated, it could be an art gallery. Most importantly, however, its advantage is space. Its full-fledged kitchen showroom, for example, is currently the largest in Singapore. Clients can find over 13 kitchen sets compared to a more centrally located competitor like Park Mall, which would only be able to showcase a couple.

Founder Ho, a hospitality graduate from Cornell University, says when he returned to Singapore three years ago, he realised there was nothing like it: “London has Chelsea Harbour and New York has its Design Center, but in Singapore there isn’t one place where you can find everything, from your floorboards to your sofa set.”

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The art gallery space refreshes its exhibitions every few months

With his background in construction (his family runs Syscon, which does prefabricated panels for HDB), he was also keenly aware that when it comes to architectural projects, it’s important to see things on a large scale. “This space allows us to do that. At the same time, we also wanted to do things in a more arty, interesting way. We even have an art gallery where you might see a painting or sculpture you like. So when you shop for your home, you start and finish with us. ”

www.designhub.com.sg

 

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THE ART E-TAILERS

Alexandra Eu, 29, and Michelle Chan, 30,

Founders of Art Loft

It was only a matter of time before the women buying their high fashion online started looking to purchase their art as effortlessly too. And it’s no secret that the art e-tailer was one of 2013’s fastest-growing phenomena. What makes Eu and Chan’s venture different is that they’re one step ahead of the game. Chan believes that while the emergence of online art platforms has been fast and furious in Europe and America, few of them focus on Asian art.

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Star Tales – Fan by Mihoko Ogaki

The duo launched Art Loft – specialising in cutting-edge South-east Asian works – last December, aiming to bridge this gap. Now, five months later, they are fusing the digital domain and physical space with the debut of Art Loft’s curating arm. It kicks off with a pop-up exhibition at Design Hub. They have also curated the works on the walls of concept furniture store The Foundry and several conservation shophouses.

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Cloud – Game by Leo Liu

“This was a natural extension for us,” says Chan. “In line with our overarching mission to spotlight and create access for Asian artists, collaborating with the right businesses and interesting spaces allows us to showcase artworks that speak to our audience’s lifestyle in a relevant way.”

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Pearl of the Orient by Shin-Young Park

That audience, comprising online-savvy young collectors and homeowners, has been growing fast – thanks to accessible price points starting at $200.
It’s a shopping experience that’s in sync with today’s times: Clients enjoy not just its anonymity, but also how personal and convenient it is. Browsing and purchasing can be done anywhere and anytime
(Art Loft accepts credit card payments and uses only trusted payment gateways), and any issues from returns to enquiries are attended to with a personal touch.

www.artloft.co

Bold New Faces Transform How We See And Buy Art 11 THE CREATIVE MAVERICK

Jerry Goh, 30, President of The Design Society and creative director of creative agency Hjgher and Underscore magazine

Designers can be a critical lot, which makes the position of president of the Design Society – a figure who has to be respected by all – an especially tough spot to fill. Last year, the mantle passed from Chris Lee, founder of Asylum, to Jerry Goh, co-founder and creative director of Hjgher.

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Underscore magazine won The President’s Design Award in 2011

Top of his agenda is establishing a credible Design Festival in Singapore. “I wanted to put all our money into one major event that would go out to the public and engage people. I want to make design more approachable,” he says.

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The Monocle pop-up shop at The U Factory

The move is an extension of the foundations that Jerry and the team at art and culture magazine Underscore laid with The U Factory (the pop-up concept space, featuring art by local creatives and food by local chefs at Gillman Barracks, ended its three-month run). The idea was to bring a 2-D magazine to life by giving it a physical form: the ultimate walk-in magazine. Says Goh: “At the end of the day, it is about curating content and experimenting with that in different forms, while always making it fun and accessible.”

www.hjgher.com

This article was originally published in Female May 2014.